Sea Glass Dream
by YenSerenity
Summary: Sophie distinctly hears the ocean breeze become a voice, and it sounds like Howl, calling her into the sea. She can't swim; but neither can she resist.


**Dear Readers:**

**Enjoy! **

_**Seawater**_

It was a typical Saturday in April. Sophie, who was now Mrs. Howl Pendragon, was doing her spring cleaning. Howl had volunteered to go grocery shopping, and had taken an only-too-happy Markl along with him. Several hours went by uneventfully, and would have continued to go by uneventfully, had it not been for the huge spider web over Howl's desk, which Sophie had to put an end to.

Twenty minutes later, the webs, spiders, and any smashed-and-smeared spider remains had been successfully cleaned off of the ceiling. Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. As she got down from the desk, however, her foot knocked a heavy blue glass bottle onto the floor. When she saw it, she bent to put it back; yet her gaze lingered on it and her fingers did not readily give it up.

"Seawater," Sophie said softly, somehow knowing.

Only then did she notice the crack near the lid. The water came pouring out, soaking her. Water poured from the bottle in an endless stream: it was certainly enchanted. In a moment, the whole room was flooded, and was lifting Sophie off the ground. Sophie didn't have time to do anything but close her eyes before her head hit the ceiling. Then the water came over her head.

There was light and movement, water and wind, sand and sea traveling beneath her, above her.

It could have been a moment and it could have been forever, but eventually Sophie found herself standing on an empty, sandy beach.

She was young again, and it was summer; and, at long last, she had reached the coast. As the wind stole her floppy straw hat right off her head, she kicked off her shoes and ran through the sand. Then she stood and stared. This was a most extraordinary beach.

There was magic in the air and spells were on the breeze as the sun sank beneath the sparkling blue water of the horizon. Sophie suddenly felt the pull of the ocean, the call of the waves. To her ears, the wind became a voice and it sounded like Howl, calling her to him…Was it a memory or only a dream? She knew not which; she only knew she could not disobey her love's melodic voice…

She ran to it, to him, towards the voice. The water met her, gentle but cold, splashing only about her feet.

_I should not go deeper_, Sophie thought, knowing she could not swim. But her feet didn't seem to listen to her own logic.

"_Come in, Sophie, my love! Come in…" _The waves seemed to speak, crashing about her waist now as they drew her in.

It wanted her so. The longing in that dear voice was almost painful… how could she resist it for another moment?

A huge wave crashed over her. She held her nose and her breath, and managed to stay standing. Now the water was to her elbows. And she was still walking deeper.

_Wait. No, this isn't right! I can't swim! And Howl isn't here. I cannot go into the water! I will stop walking!_

At last her legs obeyed her. But it was too late. The wave that had just crashed over her now was rushing back into the ocean. When she stopped walking, the current pushed her upper body forward. With a loud, almost triumphant rush of water and voices chanting spells, Sophie was underwater.

She hadn't had time to hold her nose. Salt and sand poured into her nasal passages and down her throat. She flailed her arms and kicked, hoping to make contact with the ground.

Her foot touched a slippery but solid rock, and for a moment she thought she was saved as she attempted to push herself off of it and upwards towards the surface. But the current cruelly pushed her sideways and deeper, and she lost contact with the ocean floor.

_Sinking._

She had expected not to hear anything under water, but for some reason her ears were full of voices. And it was no longer the voice she wanted to hear, but a deeper, darker voice.

_Breathless._

Her lungs were bursting with what little air remained in them. She struggled towards the remnants of light promising the surface—only to be pounded down, even deeper this time, by some cruel water current. It was as if the water had a mind of it's own…

_Deeper._

Her panicked mind started to blank out. Her body was cold.

The voices of the water sounded very far away now; she could hardly hear anything but the beating of her heart. She couldn't move, even if there hadn't been seaweed holding her wrists and ankle. She could barely even think.

Sophie was shocked when she realized that she was drowning. But she was also a little surprised to find she had only one thought.

_Howl couldn't save me from this. _

_..._

_From far away, a familiar voice was calling her name, calling her back..._

Sophie coughed and sputtered out seawater, and took a moment to catch her breath. Then she looked around, and her eyes widened in confusion.

She was lying on the wood floor in the living room. Howl was kneeling beside her, with a hand on her forehead. He looked upset—or, perhaps flustered was a better word.

"You messed up my desk. You chipped my seawater glass. You brought a curse down on yourself, and you flooded the house; luckily I got back in time and used a draining spell…. Not to mention the fact that you nearly drowned." His green eyes flashed in irritation. "Is there anything else I've missed?"

There was nothing dreamy about Howl's voice now; this was definitely reality. But even that was reassuring. A moment before, Sophie had thought her life was over. But it wasn't. Howl wouldn't let it be.

Sophie reached up and brushed her fingers on his cheek.

"You saved me."

The two were silent for a moment.

Then Howl smiled, and said almost sadly, "Why are you so surprised?"

Sophie smiled back, and shook her head. She didn't know why. But she had learned something today: even when he seemed faraway, Howl was close enough come to her rescue despite her doubts.

And knowing that was enough.


End file.
